Patching Potholes: What Are The Biggest Problems?

One of the common problems motorists and pedestrians face is potholes. They can be found everywhere – from city streets to country roads. They vary in size but typically range from a few inches to a few feet in diameter. While they may seem like a minor nuisance, they can cause severe damage to your vehicle or even injure you if you’re not careful.

How Are Potholes Formed?

They are formed when water seeps into pavement cracks and freezes. As the ice expands, it breaks apart the pavement. Over time, the pothole gets more extensive and deeper.

When a car drives over a pothole, it can cause damage to the tires, suspension, and alignment. In extreme cases, hitting it can even cause an accident.

How Can You Avoid Them on the Road?

There are a few things you can do to avoid hitting a pothole.

• First, try to stay in the middle of the lane where there are fewer potholes.
• By staying in the middle of the lane and driving slowly over bumps, you can help minimize the damage to your car.
• Checking your tires regularly is essential to ensure they are correctly inflated. Underinflated tires are more likely to be damaged by a pothole.

What Are the Major Problems with Patching Potholes?

Patching potholes is a temporary solution that doesn’t always work. The patch may not stick to the pavement properly or may be too small to fill the entire hole. This can cause the pothole to reappear soon after it’s been patched. Also, if the patch isn’t level with the rest of the road, it can create a bump that can damage your car or cause an accident.

Here are some mistakes your contractor might be making when patching potholes!

• Inefficient Use of Materials: If the material used in fixing these bumps isn’t used appropriately, the fix will only be temporary. The hole will eventually open back up, and more material will be required to fill it appropriately. This can end up being a waste of time and money.
• Inadequate Compaction: For a pothole patch to be effective, you must compact the materials properly. If they’re not, the patch won’t adhere to the surrounding pavement correctly and will eventually fail.
• Not Fixing the Drainage: If water cannot drain correctly from a pothole patch, it can cause the materials to wash away or degrade over time. This can lead to an even bigger problem down the road.
• Lack of Adhesion: If the patching material doesn’t adhere to the sides of the pothole, it will eventually come loose & need to be replaced.

Patching potholes is not a permanent solution and can often cause more problems than it solves. It’s essential to have a plan to repair the potholes properly!

Pothole Patching Methods

1. Patching with Hot Asphalt

One of the most common methods for patching potholes is hot asphalt. This method requires special equipment that heats the asphalt to a high temperature before it is applied to the pothole.

The benefits of using hot asphalt include:

• It creates a stronger bond with the surrounding pavement.
• You can apply it in colder weather conditions

The main disadvantages of using hot asphalt are:

• It requires special equipment that can be expensive to rent or purchase.
• It also takes longer to apply hot asphalt compared to other methods.

Patching with Cold Asphalt

Another popular method for patching potholes is with cold asphalt. This type of asphalt can be purchased in bags at most hardware stores and does not require any special equipment to apply.

The benefits of using cold asphalt include:

• It is less expensive than hot asphalt.
• It is easier to apply than hot asphalt.
• It can be applied in warmer weather conditions.

The main disadvantages of using cold asphalt are:

• It does not create as strong a bond with the surrounding pavement
• It’s more likely to come out of the hole over time.

How to Hire the Right Asphalt Contractor?

When you’re looking for an asphalt contractor, you should keep a few things in mind.

• First & foremost, ensure that the contractor is experienced and has a good reputation.
• You also want to get quotes from a few contractors to compare prices.
• In addition, you want to make sure that the contractor you hire is licensed and insured.
• Once you have found a few potential contractors, ask them for references. This way, you can talk to other people who have used their services in the past & get an idea of what to expect.
• Finally, once you have chosen an asphalt contractor, sign a contract before work begins. This will protect both you & the contractor in case anything goes wrong.

Conclusion

Potholes are a common problem that property owners face. They can be unsightly and dangerous and can cause damage to vehicles if not repaired on time. While patching potholes is not difficult, choosing the right asphalt contractor for the job is essential.

Read this blog post on repairing potholes and patches.

So, are you looking for a top-quality asphalt paving company in Missouri? Look no further than Paradise Asphalt Maintenance! We adhere to the highest quality standards and use the most effective asphalt paving processes and premium materials to improve surface performance and longevity.

We’re dedicated to providing excellent services, whether asphalt paving or pothole patching! So, we’ll get the job done whether you need minor repairs or a complete overhaul in Kansas City, MO.

Get your free estimate now!